Ashok Chaturvedi was the chief of India's external intelligence agency the Research and Analysis Wing ([[R&AW]]]) from February 1, 2007 to January 31, 2009. Under divisive circumstances Chaturvedi succeeded P.K.H. Tharakan, a 1968 batch officer of the IPS Kerala cadre who retired on January 31, 2007. During his tenure as R&AW Chief, the agency suffered a string of scandals and intelligence failures. His list of public embarrassments had not only littered the Indian newspapers, but also become the focus of International Press as well.

Chaturvedi was part of the Indian Police Service (IPS) as a 1970 batch officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre before joining R&AW's own service cadre the Research and Analysis Service (RAS). Chaturvedi, who was an analyst on Bangladesh and Nepal, had also served in the United Kingdom and Canada besides a stint in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.